5 comments about Miller & Freund's Probability and Statistics for Engineers (7th Edition).

1. For 6th edition:
   
   One may use this book as a handbook for some statistical problems. However, I find it very poor in terms of reading it from scratch. Moreover, many important issues are not covered, and those covered are not very analysed.
   
   i.e. I cant find the transformation of stochastic variables, The properties of the gaussian d. are not fully covered. No Rayleigh or Rice distribution? After all I am not sure this book is for engineers.



2. The book is rather well written. It starts with verty simple probability theory and then describes densities and gets into tests and other topics. The level of math is reasonable and I think undergraduates in both engineering and economics should be able to handle that level of math. Every topic comes with numerical examples which makes it easy to get ideas. There are exercises in the book too and many of them (but not all of them) are helpful for understanding. At the end of the book you can conveniently find tables of distributions and different statistics you can use. I am still using those tables for my works. The only downside is that the book doesn't cover much of probability (like functions of random variables). The distribution covered are mainly to build basis for later chapters about testing. So I would say this is a good book for those who want to learn statistical tests and reliability.



3. This is probably the second worst textbook I have ever read. I have struggled through the third chapter. In some cases, the text seems as though it was written for elementary school math covering set therory: extremely detailed and excessively verbose. In other cases, the text throws out examples without explaining any reasoning, or any how or why a formula is used.
   
   The text continually refers to examples in previous sections, which forces the reader to search back through the text. The interuption is distracting and annoying. In many cases, the page numbers where the example can be found are not given. The text also does this with the exercises, forcing the student to wear-out the pages. Sometimes, I feel as though I need two copies of the textbook so I don't waste so much time thumbing back and forth.
   
   I have ended up reading and re-reading the text while trying to understand some of the concepts and rational. In some areas, the author does not explain anything. While other times, the text continues for pages explaining things that an elementry school graduate should know. I am waiting to see multiplication tables in future chapters. All the while, some college level information is brushed-over. I typically need to work several exercises and beat my head against the wall a few times until I go ah ha! Why didn't the author explain this.
   
   With textbooks like this, it is no wonder engineers have a reputation for poor communication skills.



4. They send me the book I ordered, and it arrived long before the expected date. It was not the book I needed, but that was my own mistake.



5. For the most part this is actually one of the better statistics books I have used. It's greatest strengths lie in the number of examples provided and the "Do's and Don'ts" at the end of each chapter. The narratives and proofs do a fairly decent job of introducing and developing new concepts and formulas, and there is generally a good segway from one topic to the next. If you have other statistics books like I do, this book actually does a good enough job deriving each distribution that things became clear here that I had always puzzled over in my other books. It is admittedly a bit distracting at times when an example references data from an earlier example in a previous chapter requiring you to bookmark pages with your fingers so that you can flip back and forth as you work through an example. In other areas, at times an example might skip a few steps which will require you to think through how they made the leap. Still, despite these shortcomings and the occassional errata, I still believe this is one of the better statistics textbooks.

3 comments about Linear System Theory and Design (Oxford Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering).

1. My overall impression with this book is: satisfactory. Though there are a more errors then desired, and a few that are pretty confusing, the majority of the book is accurate and very instructive. I would recommend this book as a reference for introductory treatment of Linear System Theory and DI just completed this book in the beginning of March. Having a Controls background I found this book both helpful and instructive, yet lacking in sufficient detailed explanation on some tough topics. Chapter 2: 'Mathematical Descriptions of Systems' was very helpful with the detailed definitions and easy examples. Chapter 3: 'Linear Algebra' is a chapter that could use expanding. Some of the topics addressed in this section are speedily discussed and rapidly completed. The first edition of this book was chided for it length. This edition must be chided for it brevity. However, when lack of explanation abounds, examples and homework problems can make up for deficient instruction. Chapters 4 through 6 are easy to follow and through in their treatment. Chapter 7, however, is another chapter where too much explanation was removed. The examples are hard to follow in this chapter, and there are a few very confusing mistakes. Chapters 8 and 9 are very well written, though confused at times. However, they yield a sufficient knowledge of the addressed topics.

   My overall impression with this book is: satisfactory. Though there are a more errors then desired, and a few that are pretty confusing, the majority of the book is accurate and very instructive. I would recommend this book as a reference for introductory treatment of Linear System Theory and Design.esign.




2. Up to this time,there are no 5 stars books in Linear Systems. However, this book is one of the best 4 stars books available for the subject. Through the book, the author sometimes assumes that you know or understand some topic, formula,...etc. without mentioning it. However,you can do it, but it may take you some time to figure out what it is. If you are good enough in linear algebra you will have no problems to handle the book up to the last page. Chapter 2 & 3 are the most important chapters in the book because they prepare you for the rest of the book. MATLAB is being used in a nice and helpful way to visualize some concepts and applications of the linear control theory. I recommend this book as a textbook for an introductory linear systems course and also for self teaching purposes.



3. I found this book to be inadequate at all levels. It does not go into sufficient detail for beginners, and neither does it provide rigor for the experienced controls student. Do yourself a favor and buy separate texts for the basics (like Brogan's Modern Control Theory) and for the advanced.

5 comments about Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

1. This book is really a disaster for whom who want to learn somthing from HVAC/R.It's full of controversies(not their typo),full of headlines not much of a detail.I do not understand how come a book with 18th edition still making basic mistakes like saying thing cotroversial to each other.I had to buy another book from Whitman Johnson and Tomczyk.



2. Thanks to the length of time this book has been available and the frequent revisions to the copyright, it continues to get bigger and better as time goes on.
   
   My bookshelf has at least 5 of those revisions that frequently get utilized . Each revision builds upon the prior publication and expands on the detail they provide.
   
   This publication represents an established reference standard for the HVAC/R Industry. It is especially valuable because of the extent of the different technical topics presented within its covers.
   
   Some have tried to copy the format and the content but still fail to match its quality and level of professionalism.



3. ...I never recieved this item due to the FLOODS in New Orleans...I am sure I'll get it some time, LOL.



4. This book was in great shape and received it good time. I was real happy with the book and service. Thank you



5. A totally comprehensive tool to learn and understand all facets of Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Heat Systems, and Icemakers. This is the best book I have seen on the subject.

5 comments about System Dynamics (4th Edition).

1. This book is very helpful for those who are doing system dynamics course. I spent more than 4 hours in my university library (KFUPM), comparing this book to other system dynamics books and I found the following result. This book contains the most solved examples than other system dynamics books I have seen. Each chapter of this book contains lots of solved problems that came in my quizzes, major, and final exams.

   Unlike other system dynamics books I have seen, this book does not discuss Mason loop rule method which is easier to use instead of Block reduction rule method mentioned in this book. I, also, think that this book does not explain very well how to plot Bode Diagrams by hands.

   Like other system dynamics books I have seen, this book does not provide the students with the solutions of the questions given at the end of each chapter.

   Regardless of its few minuses, this book is still an excellent one and I strongly recommend it.

   To overcome its minuses, buy this book as well as " Modern Control System" which is written by Richard C. Dorf & Robert H. Bishop. Modern Control System is also a wonderful book and a very interesting one. It is better than System Dynamics book in that the concepts are explained deeply. Mason loop rule, Block reduction rule, and plotting Bode Diagrams by hands are very well explained in this book. It is easy to understand and very illustrated. Compared to System Dynamics book, this book has 7 excellent appendices plus a fantastic index, which can also be used as a glossary. Additionally, and above all, the solved exampled plus the questions given at the end of each chapter deal with the modern systems, equipments, devices, and with the recent technology available today.

   I passed this course depending on these two books plus my instructor's notes and got "B+". I strongly believe that the students using these two books will be in very good shapes.




2. The text itself was easy to follow, and the problems associated with each chapter are preceeded by similar examples that contain solution explainations, which helped a great deal in problem solving.

   Unfortunatly, Ogata neglects the topic of non-linear dynamics and system chaos, which comprised a sizable portion of our course material. If you are looking for a sytems text that is all inclusive, a supplement to this should be chosen.




3. The experience of using this book was like giving someone $110 to give me a handful of porridge (no bowl).

   I found the text to be disjointed and awkward to read. I was often flipping ahead in the book to more advanced sections in order to work the problems. A found it usful to purchase other textbooks in order to actually learn the material. I found the index on many occasions to be useless. There are some main points that seem to be mentioned as after thoughts in example problems. If I were to teach a course in System Dynamics I would go shopping elsewhere for a good text. I give it 2 stars because I think the ME textbook mafia will hunt me down for trashing a book by Ogata.




4. This is the worst textbook I have ever used or owned. Though it is filled with examples and problems (presumably the reason my university chose it as the required text) learning any new material from its incoherent presentation of the material is impossible (presumably why my professor lectured and used examples from another text). As an example, I missed the lecture covering Nyquist plots. I sat down with the book, thinking with an hour or two I'd be able to master the material by looking through the section in the book on the subject. I ended up in office hours.
   
   My negative opinion of the book is shared by everyone I have spoken to about it, and most students scramble to find a better text when they learn how bad this one truly is.
   
   Pros:
   Many examples and problems.
   Provides instruction for using Matlab in conjunction with controls.
   
   Cons:
   Presentation of the material is terrible.



5. Book was received very shortly after order. Will be very useful now that I am in class that requires book for school

5 comments about Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects.

1. Good written, and good for artist/hobbyist who wants to make great things with arduino e.g...
   So if you want to have all the most important possibilities clearly explained with example code and pixels, buy this book!



2. When I first heard about this book, I assumed it was about projects for speech synthesis. When I read the details on the publisher's site I was somewhat disappointed - talking meant communications in this case. However, I ordered it anyway and was quite delighted by the results. The book is well illustrated, well written, and contains 26 very interesting projects. If you are teaching networking to high schoolers or even to college students, these projects might make interesting case studies to drive home some of the points being studied.
   
   There is one thing I would caution you on though. Don't expect the lead-you-by-the-hand electronics-heavy methodology of most other project books. This book - although apparently targeted at electronics hobbyists - goes into painstaking detail on hardware needed and assembly. However, it oddly assumes the reader doesn't need much coaching on the Processing programming language or PHP. Of course, this book would be an unwieldy tome if tutoring on those subjects were included, but just be warned that you'll need some outside sources if you are not already familiar with either of these languages. The following is the list of contents of the book along with the names and locations of the 26 included projects.
   
   1. The Simplest Tools
   2. The Simplest Network
   Project 1 - Monski Pong
   Project 2 - Wireless Monski Pong
   Project 3 - Negotiating in Bluetooth
   3. A More Complex Network
   Project 4 - A Networked Cat
   4. Look Ma! No Computer
   Project 5 - Hello Internet
   Project 6 - Networked Air Quality Meter
   5. Communicating in (Near) Real Time
   Project 7 - A Networked Game
   6. Wireless Communication
   Project 8 - Infrared Transmitter-Receiver Pair
   Project 9 - Radio Transmitter-Receiver Pair
   Project 10 - Duplex Radio Transmission
   Project 11 - Bluetooth Receivers
   7. The Tools
   Project 12 - Reporting Toxic Chemicals in the Shop
   Project 13 - Relaying Solar Data Wirelessly
   8. How to Locate (Almost) Anything
   Project 14 - Infrared Distance Ranger Example
   Project 15 - Ultrasonic Distance Ranger Example
   Project 16 - Reading Received Signal Strength Using XBee Radios
   Project 17 - Reading Received Signal Strength Using Bluetooth Radios
   Project 18 - Reading the GPS Serial Protocol
   Project 19 - Determining Heading Using a Digital Compass
   Project 20 - Using an Accelerometer
   9. Identification
   Project 21 - Color Recognition Using a Webcam
   Project 22 - 2D Barcode Recognition Using a Webcam
   Project 23 - Reading RFID Tags in Processing
   Project 24 - RFID Meets Home Automation
   Project 25 - IP Geocoding
   Project 26 - Email from RFID
   A. And Another Thing
   B. Where to Get Stuff
   C. Program Listings



3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have read it cover-2-cover.
   Granted - some of the projects are a little hokey. Perhaps that is why I kept finding alternate uses for the circuitry.
   
   Negative? The author covered a lot of ground and was forced to limit his depth. That makes it an excellent "Intro" book - but makes me wish for more.



4. I understand an author can't be expected to cover every microcontroller in every language but, Arduino ?? What the BLEEP !! Who uses Arduino...never heard of it ? I bought Igoe's Physical Computing and found it of some value on account that he was using Pic Basic Pro to program Microchip Pics when everyone else uses Assembler or C. He did however, in that book, include some other micros such as a Basic Stamp 2 and I could at least slightly empathize with his efforts to keep as many people happy as possible. I thought this book, being a latter work, would be using Microchip Pics with HOPEFULLY assembler or C. What do I get, Arduino in some proprietary language ?? JEEZUS !! How may Arduinos are sold every year compared to PICs ? Maybe I can use this book as a gross guide to some of the other technology introduced in the book such as XBee RF modules. I wish the publisher was upfront in their description in warning people that it's using this exceedingly rare and proprietary micro and programming language. It could have been a 5 star if he used PIC with C or Assembler.



5. I take my hat off to Tom for his contribution the rest of the amatures like me. I wish you well

4 comments about Engineering Statistics.

1. This book is a terrible statistics book. It is full of inconsistancies and mistakes. Believe me there are much better books out there.



2. This book helped me to solve many types of engineering problems which require an appreciation of variability and some understanding of how to use both descriptive and analytical tools in dealing with variability.



3. Has been very useful in support my post grad studies in systems engineering. Has very good explanations of subject material and great index of tables for analysis. Highly recommend for anyone conducting research or how to apply real life data for analysis.



4. My book does not include the appendix at the back. It stops right after chapter 8. I bought my book new on Amazon and it came in shrink wrap. It is not an international addition. I found at least one other classmate who had the same problem as me. If at all possible, please send me the pages from the back appendices.

3 comments about Modern Control Systems (11th Edition) (Pie).

1. I am taking a 1 semester long control course from EE department.
   This is the book we use. It features numerous mistakes and skimpish explanations. It also skips a lot of derivations of concepts. Very weak text for the course. I am not sure of the alternatives but it is not hard to imagine something better.
   It is also virutally identical to the previous editions - i get by just fine with the 9th edition which i obtained for $15 used.



2. Taking control theory course at my school where the book is required. As a student introduced to the theory for the first time, this book has been no help at all. Explanations are very limited and I find myself re-reading the same page numerous times just to figure out how did the author came up with derivations. Text is often too dry without any real world connection (essential for engineering students - at least for me). If this text is required, prepare to spend a lot of time with your professor. This is NOT a good book for intro course.



3. This book is one of the worst I've had in Engineering school. The explanations are weak, only going over the simplest version of a concept. Just wait until your professor actually assigns problems from the book. The problems are difficult and complex, and there are zero answers in the back to verify your answers. So, you have no clue if you're doing it right. If your professor is not very helpful, you're in trouble.

No comments about Engineering Design (Engineering).

5 comments about Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion (2nd Edition).

1. The books structure is very instructive, its index is the badest I've ever seen. Useless as a reference book.



2. The text is well-written and encompases a great deal about aerospace propulsion. There are few example problems, and the problems at the end of each chapter are worded so poorly it is difficult to know what is wanted without already knowing. Although the text is wonderfully instructive, it is a rather irritating textbook.



3. amazon listed this book in its periodic email of recommended books. I was shocked to see three stars next to it as an aggregate rating, and I was compelled to write a raving review of it. I own the fist edition of this book (1965!). this is probably one of the best written scientific books I know of. crystal clear and captivating from fundamentals to core advanced topics. anyone who was not there at the time should be fascinated by this book, and astounded to find out just what was already known in the sixties about propulsion, and mortified about how little progress has been made since, in comparison. it is true you will not find as many examples in this book as in some more recent books. in my opinion, the clarity of general explanations (with worked math) more than makes up for this. in many newer books authors seem to throw in confusing new notation, and end up with weaker explanations of core subjects. then, some people expect to use precooked examples for everything. I do not own the second edition of this book. I hope nobody has done it the great disservice of reediting it to any significant extent.



4. Yeah, that's a big statement, but considering the fact that I own 7 other major propulsion books and refer to this one 10 times more than any of the others, I think it's definitely true. All of the top Aerospace Engineering schools use it, and for good reason.
   
   It is NOT a teach-yourself book. If that is what you are into, then go buy something with more pretty pictures, because some sections take some work to dig into. But if you are Senior level or grad student, then the book will be very good for you. The content in the book is very insightful, and if you go through the book concurrently with a course it is a great help.



5. This is just the best book for propulsion. But maybe not for beginners. And may be not for those who just want to score marks in exams by practicing large no. of problems but not caring for real & physical understanding of jet engines.

2 comments about Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes, and Systems.

1. I think this is a great reference book. I have had prof. Groover in 3 of my Industrial Engineering classes at Lehigh University. There is not a single semester when I don't go back to use the book as a reference. The book is very easy to read, and to understand.



2. The binding had seen better days but besides that the book is in excelent condition. Can't complain for a used book.